For many years God has been giving us practical and down to earth instructions pertaining to godly living and how we may live in readiness for Christ’s return to this earth. He has sent us His prophets to warn us of things to come and to instruct us on how we may exercise wisdom and prudence based on knowledge of future events.
The wealth of information given to us throughout the Bible, and also through God’s end-time prophet will come in very handy, and useful as we enter the un-chartered waters referred to by Daniel, and the other prophets. When God sees fit to disseminate information to His believing children, He expects us to take note and act accordingly.
The phrase “Crunch Time” refers to those adverse situations that are permitted to cause individuals and nations to do serious soul-searching on account of violations indulged, such as took place in the days of Joshua when Achan’s actions brought the nation of Israel to its knees literally. At that time, it was discovered that one man and his family were responsible for the terrible losses which were incurred, and the collateral damage which was done to the morale of the people.
Thus, as we study part 1 of Crunch Time Prophecies, it is important for us to believe God’s word, and to act accordingly. Faith without works is dead and because of this, the information given out this afternoon is intended to make us aware that there are root causes, and also corresponding effects for things that are happening, and that are predicted to happen across the world.
The Bible teaches us that the curse causeless shall not come, and thus, before we fall into the snare of questioning God’s love for the human family, let us review some of the prophecies that are given in the Bible, and some of the reasons behind those cryptic predictions. We will highlight, and them explain as we go along.
[1] Before all is said and done and before the current dust settles, some persons will have to eat a whole lot of grass, just like Nebuchadnezzar, because, as the Bible teaches us, pride goes before a fall, and a haughty spirit before comes destruction.
For purposes of this Bible study “Grass” will refer to those humbling experiences God brings at times, on the human agent when we deliberately lose sight of our dependence on Him. Throughout human history, the general tendency when God exalts a person to a high position, is that we become puffed up, and we come to think that we do not need God’s advice, nor His instructions and counsels anymore.
Thus, it was with Solomon, thus it was with David, with Saul, and with so many other Bible characters whose egos and pride became inflated to the point where they forgot that God rules in the kingdom of men. David and Solomon were humbled tremendously in the eyes of their subjects, after their pride led them to disregard God’s laws, instructions, and warnings. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case a strict regimen of grass, and herbs was instituted, so that he would never forget that God rules as sole Sovereign. Let’s read:
Daniel 4:4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house and flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. Belteshazzar answered and said; 20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; 21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation.
22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. 23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most-High,
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
Nebuchadnezzar had a serious “I” problem, for he came to think that he alone was the most important person in the world, because Babylon was the world leader of all nations back then, being represented as the golden kingdom of the image in Daniel 2. But whenever, and wherever pride is fostered and indulged, when God sends us warnings, reminding us to be humble, and whenever the human agent loses sight of his dependence on God, he would be made to eat grass, a whole lot of grass!
This crunch time prophecy, given and fulfilled to the king of Babylon was well-intended to be a beacon of warning to every world leader that is brought upon the stage of action through the providence of God, whether they be secular or spiritual. One does not have to be a Christian, in order to come under the direct jurisdiction of God.
Kings and princes, prime ministers and presidents, queens, judges, senators and lords of all stripes are to understand that they serve at God’s discretion, and as such, a humble dependence on Him is the best and safest course to pursue, for according to the apostle James, they will run into stiff resistance from God when they become puffed up. Let’s read:
James 4:6 Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 1st Peter 5: 5 Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Poor Nebuchadnezzar lost sight of the fact that it is God who sets up kings and leaders in the temporal realm, and therefore, God had to humble him into remembering that he reigned by God’s discretion alone. Whatever we do or accomplish in this life is done by the mercy and power of God, a fact that secular and religious leaders alike must never lose sight of, and which ought to be sacredly enshrined in the hearts of all those who are called to serve.
God, as His custom is, gave the king of Babylon time to repent, time to reform and change course, but as usual, God’s mercy was taken for granted, and was misinterpreted as weakness, just as it is today. Thus, after one year of grace the “crunch-time” prophecy was fulfilled, just as Nebuchadnezzar the king was in the midst of his boasting. Let’s read:
Daniel 4:29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the of my majesty? 31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
The same sin of pride is what the Bible pinpoints as the foremost reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, because wherever pride is indulged, it will result in the downfall of persons and nations. The letter “i” stands at the center of the word pride and it’s at the center of the name lucifer for pride is a derivative of lucifer, whose indulgence of pride caused him to be expelled from heaven. Let’s read:
Isaiah 14: 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most-High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore, I took them away as I saw good.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
[2] The reason why everything in the world seems to be peaking and bursting at the seams is because the earth is approaching its climax, which will usher in the reign of The Lord Jesus Christ.
The earth is not millions of years old, as is currently taught in secular schools of learning, for according to scripture, and the information given to us by God through His servant, it is approaching the 6000-year threshold. Hence the reason why things seem to be spinning out of control on multiple fronts.
Throughout the Bible, repeated over and over again is the principle of 6+1, beginning with creation, week and on through those instructions given in the Pentateuch. Follow closely the information below, for the interpretation is correct, and isn’t private by any means. Let’s read:
Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1 Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Exodus 21:2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
Exodus 23:10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: 11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still.
Exodus 20: 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
Leviticus 25:3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
2nd Chronicles 36:15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia. 21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate, she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
Leviticus 26:34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. 35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Jeremiah 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. 27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
Those last words of the previous verse are critically important, for they specifically say that a full end of the world would not be made during the time of the sabbatical rest which Jeremiah was shown in vision. This needs further explanation and for that we must turn to the scriptures. Let’s read:
Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
[The Great Controversy pp 659>660] For six thousand years, Satan's work of rebellion has “made the earth to tremble.” He has “made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof.” For six thousand years his prison-house has received God's people, and he would have held them captive forever, but Christ has broken his bonds, and set the prisoners free.
Even the wicked are now placed beyond the power of Satan; and alone with his evil angels he remains to realize the effect of the curse which sin has brought. For a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro in the desolate earth, to behold the results of his rebellion against the law of God. During this time his sufferings are intense.
Since his fall, his life of unceasing activity has banished reflection; but he is now deprived of his power, and left to contemplate the part which he has acted since first he rebelled against the government of Heaven; And to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done, and be punished for the sins that he has caused to be committed.
[3] Occurrences in the natural world, weather related events, and the distress of nations, with no resolve in sight, all portend the soon return of Christ. These events were particularly outlined in those crunch-time prophecies which point to that period of time, just prior to Christ’s return. They are being fulfilled even as we speak, and will continue to be fulfilled even if persons refuse to believe. Let’s read:
Luke 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
[4] The current Corona virus which has single-handedly shaken up the sporting industry, stalled production lines, and which has rattled the stock market, is just the tip of the iceberg.
According to the scriptures, there are new diseases, viruses, pestilences, and plagues which will soon be coming upon the face of the earth, with increasing intensity, severity, and frequency, just as the birth pangs of pregnancy increase in severity, those labor pains which herald a woman’s delivery.
Some of the “pestilences” referred to in Matthew, and Luke are diseases, viruses, and deadly bacteria that are being experimented with in those secret laboratories of nature; not only by human beings, as some conspiracy theories might suggest, but more directly by fallen angels. These are then introduced to the human family via disobedience to God’s laws. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 590] In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous.
[5] The promises given to us in Psalms ninety one were specifically intended for the last days, when these pestilences are scheduled to proliferate. Thus, it is extremely important for those who know better, to be walking in obedience to all God’s laws and instructions on health, and all other matters, for the promises are made to the obedient. Let’s read:
Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most-High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
This one, and other prophecies which foretell God’s protection over His people during these troublous times, were written with the understanding that it is imperative for us to live up to all the knowledge, and truth shed upon our pathway. God has given to us gold diamonds and pearls in the form of the health message, and it’s now up to us to make adjustments and reforms where necessary for as we have been stated many times before, God is much more practical and down to earth in all of His instructions to us, than many Christians realize.
Let us take for example the following prophecy that is written for the remnant people of God, who will be living upon the earth when the promises of His protection would be fully materialized. Observe the word “Protect” in the context of what is being said. Let’s read:
[Councils on Health pp 434] When the third angel's message is received in its fullness health reform will be given its place in the councils of the conference, in the work of the church, in the home, at the table, and in all the household arrangements. Then the right arm will serve and protect the body. Currently, it is advised that we wash our hands with soap and water often, that we do social distancing, and there are restrictions on large gatherings, which will ultimately include religious meetings.
All of this is well and good and represents cooperation on our part to try to mitigate the spread of the virus. But we have to let you know, that with all of our good efforts, it is ultimately the mercy of God that will cover and protect us in these last days, for the promises were given to assure us of His presence when things begin to go downhill.
Therefore, as we close off this first installment of crunch time prophecies, it is fitting that we end with some of the passages which foretell of God’s care, and protection during perilous times. Obedience to all of His revealed will is necessary because He does not bless or sanction willful disobedience.
It’s not all bad news, but it is very important for all who are willing, to have a meaningful relationship with Christ, so that when the angels see the blood on our doorposts, they will be pleased to pass over, just as in the days when God’s people were soon to be delivered from pharaoh. The rest of Psalms 91 should be carefully studied and contemplated, for it represents, in a nutshell, the adverse events that are to be unfolded, and the counter measures God will put in place, over and about every sincere believer. Let’s read:
Psalms 91:2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most-High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
God bless!